CMC Local Government Law & Ethics 3

Question 1

Which type of municipal ordinance establishes permanent rules governing conduct within the municipality?

Accepted Answer

General ordinance

Answer

General ordinances are permanent legislative enactments that establish rules of conduct and carry the force of law within the municipality.

Question 2

A municipal clerk discovers that an ordinance was published with a typographical error in a dollar amount. What is the proper remedy?

Accepted Answer

The council adopts a corrective ordinance or amendment

Answer

Substantive errors in adopted ordinances must be corrected through the formal legislative process by adopting an amending or corrective ordinance.

Question 3

What is the purpose of a 'grandfather clause' in a municipal zoning ordinance?

Accepted Answer

To allow pre-existing nonconforming uses to continue under new regulations

Answer

A grandfather clause allows lawfully established uses or structures that do not conform to new zoning regulations to continue operating as nonconforming uses.

Question 4

Which of the following best describes 'home rule' authority?

Accepted Answer

A municipality's constitutional or statutory authority to govern local affairs without state legislative approval

Answer

Home rule grants municipalities the power to legislate on local matters without needing express state authorization, contrasting with Dillon's Rule.

Question 5

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), municipalities must ensure that:

Accepted Answer

Programs and services are accessible to persons with disabilities, not necessarily every facility

Answer

The ADA requires that municipal programs and services be accessible to persons with disabilities, using a program-access rather than facility-by-facility standard for older buildings.

(CMC) Certified Municipal Clerk Practice Test

(CMC) Certified Municipal Clerk Practice Test

CMC Local Government Law & Ethics 3